"You oblige me to say it, Constance. You and Judy must lay your heads
together upon some other grievance, for, indeed, for this particular
one there is no remedy. She is an old goose, and you are a young one."

"Is it right that we should submit to the risk of being set on fire?"

"My dear, if that is the point, I'll have a fire-escape placed over the
front door every night, and pay a couple of watchmen to act as
guardians. Constance!" again dropping his tone of mockery, "you know
that you may trust me better than that."

"But, Hamish, how do you spend your time, that you cannot complete your
books in the day?"

"Oh," drawled Hamish, "ours is the laziest office! gossiping and
scandal going on in it from morning till night. In the fatigue induced
by that, I am not sure that I don't take a nap, sometimes."

Constance could not tell what to make of him. He was gazing at her with
the most perplexing expression of face, looking ready to burst into a
laugh.

"One last word, Hamish, for I hear Judith calling to you. Are you
obliged to do this night-work?"

"I am."

"Then I will say no more; and things must go on as it seems they have
hitherto done."